Recipes for get-togethers: starters, mains and desserts for bigger groups
Recipes made for sharing
If you've agreed to host a big gathering for family and friends and are now panicking about what to cook, we're here to help. This collection includes our best recipes for feeding larger groups, from shareable starters you can lay out when everyone arrives, to mains that can easily be doubled, tripled or more – and desserts you can just place on the table so people can help themselves.
Click or scroll through our gallery to discover 51 crowd-pleasing recipes that are guaranteed to make your get-together a roaring success.
Parma Ham and butternut squash skewers
Don't you just love a make-ahead canapé? This winning starter combines sweet and slightly spicy roasted squash, fried sage, silky Parma Ham and Manchego cheese. It's quick to make, and the recipe can easily be doubled or trebled to feed a crowd.
Get the recipe for Parma Ham and butternut squash skewers here
Halloumi fries
Gooey cheese encased in a crisp outer shell... what could be better? Serve up these halloumi fries and your guests will definitely be coming back for seconds. The recipe's even easier if you have an air fryer – simply spray your fries with oil and cook them at 180°C (350°F) for eight minutes, turning once.
Guacamole
It takes just 10 minutes to whip up this zingy Mexican dip, and the recipe is easily doubled to make a large batch. Add fresh tomato, lime, chilli and coriander to mashed avocado, then serve with tortilla chips or small slices of toasted pitta. Perfection!
Mini beef sausage rolls
The ideal snack to nibble on before the main course, these mini sausage rolls are made by combining beef sausages, mushrooms, Worcestershire sauce and Tabasco, then wrapping the mixture in mustard-coated, ready-made pastry. Get ahead by preparing them in advance and storing them in the freezer – they can be cooked from frozen.
Philly steak nachos
Nachos always go down a storm as a sharing plate – and, in this easy recipe, they're topped with pickle juice–marinated steak for added flavour. The cheese sauce and vegetables (peppers, onions and jalapeños) can be prepared ahead, so all you'll need to do on the day is fry the steak. The recipe serves four, but you can easily multiply the quantities to feed a crowd.
Crispy, sticky chicken wings
These delectable chicken wings are baked in the oven, so there's none of the mess and hassle of deep-frying. The secret ingredient? Bicarbonate of soda, which really helps the wings to crisp up. The recipe serves four, but it's easy to increase the quantities to serve more.
Aubergine and halloumi wraps
These roasted aubergine parcels are stuffed with halloumi cheese, tomato purée and garlic, and can be prepared up to 24 hours ahead of time (simply store them in the fridge). Once prepped, they're incredibly quick and easy to make – just pop them in the oven for six to eight minutes. The recipe makes 20, which should be plenty for a large gathering.
Gravadlax on rye
This is possibly our easiest canapé recipe ever. Essentially, it's just an assembly job using shop-bought gravadlax, and it's ready in 10 minutes. Serve with a quick dressing, chopped dill, red onion and capers for an impressive-looking nibble everyone will love. The recipe serves six, but you can double it up for more – they are very tasty, after all!
Chicken with pesto, Taleggio and roasted tomatoes
This easy traybake ticks all the boxes, with tender chicken, a creamy cheese sauce, crunchy crumb topping, fresh basil pesto and juicy roasted tomatoes – and it's ready in under an hour. If you can't find Taleggio cheese, use Camembert instead. For the perfect feast, serve it up with a crisp salad and new potatoes.
Get the recipe for chicken with pesto, Taleggio and roasted tomatoes here
Shepherd's pie
This pie's meaty filling is made with minced lamb, mushrooms, carrots, garlic and Worcestershire sauce, giving the dish a wonderfully rich flavour. To save time on the day, it can be prepared in advance, then baked in the oven when you're ready to eat. Shepherd's pie is traditionally made with minced lamb, but you can swap it for minced beef (or a vegetarian alternative, like lentils or plant-based mince) if you prefer.
Beef and stout stew
A warming one-pot meal everyone will love. This sumptuous, slow-cooked beef and stout stew can be made ahead, frozen and reheated – and, once it's cooked, it'll keep in the fridge for up to two days. Serve with creamy mashed potato and greens for a satisfying alternative to a roast dinner.
Sticky soy and honey-roasted salmon with greens
In need of a quick, tasty meal to wow a crowd? Try this punchy traybake, which you can rustle up in 30 minutes. The recipe serves four, but you can use several trays if you've got more guests to feed. The soy, sesame oil and honey glaze takes the salmon to another level, and the zingy, spicy dressing really peps up the greens. Serve with rice or noodles to make it a real feast.
Get the recipe for sticky soy and honey-roasted salmon with greens here
Classic lasagne
A really great lasagne takes time to prepare – but luckily, it's mostly hands-off time while the meat ragù bubbles away. This Italian favourite freezes well and can be prepared ahead, so it's a great option if you want to relax on the day. It's perfect served with a green salad and garlic bread on the side.
One-pan vegetable lasagne
There's no white sauce to make here – just a bit of gentle chopping and sautéing, and some assembly. Though it's made in a pan, this veggie lasagne is still a rich, cheesy dish, with courgettes, mushrooms and tomatoes making the base sauce. Plus, it's ready in just 45 minutes.
Chicken casserole
This creamy one-pot chicken dish uses fresh herbs, mushrooms and bacon for maximum flavour. The recipe serves four, but you can double up the quantities – we'd just recommend baking the casserole in two separate dishes. It's a great one to freeze, and is lovely served with roast potatoes and greens.
Fish pie
This simple fish pie – filled with a mixture of white fish, salmon, prawns and smoked fish, and topped with cheese, chopped boiled eggs and a creamy mash – really delivers on taste. Plus, there's no sauce to make; just use cream. Easy! Serve your creation with a side of herby, buttery peas and wait for the compliments to roll in.
Roast beef
Served with all the trimmings, roast beef makes an irresistible centrepiece for a weekend lunch. If you want your meat to be wonderfully tender and succulent, try our recipe, which uses topside. It serves three, but can easily be adapted for a bigger joint – just adjust the cooking time.
Plantain and chickpea curry
Full of fragrant, spicy flavours, this vegan Caribbean-inspired recipe can easily be doubled up to serve eight. The base is made from mostly store cupboard ingredients, so there's no tricky shopping involved. It can be prepared a few hours ahead, too – just add the spinach before serving.
Chicken pot pie
Packed with vegetables, this comforting, creamy pie needs little accompaniment – just serve with some buttered greens and new potatoes for a hearty, tasty meal. You can use shop-bought pastry and if you're running low on time, the filling can be prepared the day before baking. The pie serves six, so make two if you're feeding a crowd.
Spiced salmon with pineapple salsa
Here, a whole fillet of sweet, spicy salmon is served with caramelised onion rice and a punchy salsa of fresh pineapple, chilli and lime. It's best to marinate the salmon overnight for maximum flavour, but the rest is a cinch to put together. The recipe serves eight hungry dinner guests, but you can always double up if you have a bigger group to feed.
Vegan mac 'n' cheese
Adding ground almonds, mustard powder and nutritional yeast to the sauce really gives this macaroni dish a savoury, cheesy flavour, even though it's vegan. The recipe serves four, but you can easily increase the quantities. It freezes well too, so you can always prepare it in advance of your gathering.
Braised pork belly with apple sauce
Crunchy, salty crackling, melt-in-the-mouth pork, tart apple sauce, glazed carrots and mustard mash – that's Sunday lunch sorted! The pork takes time to cook, but there's little effort involved, so you can sit back and relax for the most part. The recipe serves four, but it can be doubled up easily.
Beef Wellington
If you're after a true showstopper, look no further than this beef Wellington: a tender fillet of beef coated in a liver pâté with mushrooms, wrapped in buttery puff pastry and served with a rich, savoury gravy. It looks complicated, but follow our step-by-step guide and you'll achieve perfection every time. The recipe serves eight, so it's a good choice for a fancy dinner party.
Herby bean stew
Tasty, warming, filling and nutritious, this vegan stew has everything. White beans and lentils provide protein, and an abundance of fresh herbs add plenty of colour and flavour. The recipe serves two, but it's easy to keep doubling it up to serve more people – or you could even offer it as a side dish.
Steak and ale pie
In this steak and ale pie recipe, tender chunks of slow-cooked beef are immersed in a rich, dark, savoury gravy, then topped with shop-bought puff pastry. The filling takes time to cook, but it's very simple. As an added bonus, the pie can be made up to three days ahead and kept in the fridge, or it can be frozen.
Roast chicken with ginger mayonnaise
There's always room for another twist on classic roast chicken. Here, it's rubbed with fragrant ginger and smoked paprika, then served with a fresh mayonnaise flavoured with ginger and watercress (which you can swap for rocket, if you like). Serve with greens and roasted or steamed potatoes for a well-rounded meal.
Get the recipe for roast chicken with ginger mayonnaise here
Ham and apple pie
This tempting puff pastry pie is filled with ham, apples and cheese, all layered up in a creamy béchamel sauce. It serves six, but you could always make two. Serve with a selection of sides, such as new potatoes and buttered cabbage.
Slow-cooked chicken with a crisp corn crust
In this recipe, chicken thighs are gently simmered in a spicy tomato and red pepper sauce, then topped with a sweetcorn batter to give a wonderful crunch and boost of flavour. It serves six, but you can make it work harder by serving potato wedges on the side. If time is of the essence, the chicken filling can be made ahead or frozen.
Get the recipe for slow-cooked chicken with a crisp corn crust here
Roast leg of lamb with pecorino and garlic
It may seem a little off-the-wall to stuff lamb with cheese, but trust us, it's a great combination. In this recipe for eight, the intense savoury taste of the cheese contrasts perfectly with the sweetness of the roast lamb. The joint is roasted on a bed of tomatoes, potatoes and onions, with a good glug of white wine, so there's little hands-on time – just leave it in the oven to do its thing.
Mushroom stew and cauliflower mash
Packed with rich flavours, this hearty stew is vegan comfort food at its best. Soaked, dried porcini mushrooms would be a great addition for an extra savoury kick – and you could always substitute the cauliflower mash for classic mash or crushed sweet potatoes if you want to make the dish more filling.
Vegan tikka masala
This comforting, vegan take on a classic curry is bursting with flavour. Packed with vegetables including cauliflower, carrots and chickpeas and covered in a delicious sauce made from tinned plum tomatoes, coconut milk and cream, it's served with vegan naan breads, which are perfect for mopping up every last bit. This recipe serves four, but you can double it up to feed a group.
Mushroom and lentil Wellington
This hearty vegan take on a Wellington is just as delicious as its beef counterpart, with mushrooms providing a deliciously 'meaty' texture. It takes a little while to prepare and cook, but the results are more than worth it. The Wellington serves six and would be delicious with crispy roast potatoes and buttered greens.
Paella
A big pan of steaming paella makes a perfect centrepiece. This one's made with juicy prawns, squid, mussels and spicy chorizo for plenty of wow factor. It may look impressive, but there's not much preparation involved – just a bit of chopping. Finish it off with a squeeze of lemon juice and a sprinkle of fresh parsley for a Mediterranean flourish. The recipe serves six, but you could add some tapas-style dishes to make it go further.
Rosemary lamb cutlets with roast potatoes, peppers and salsa verde
This Italian-inspired lamb recipe is the perfect pick for a relaxed gathering; simply place the assembled platter in the middle of the table and let everyone help themselves. The lamb cutlets have masses of flavour thanks to the herby, garlicky marinade, the potatoes crisp up beautifully in the oven and the peppers turn meltingly soft. A vibrant salsa verde finishes the dish beautifully. The recipe below serves four, but the quantities can be easily increased.
Get the recipe for rosemary lamb cutlets with roast potatoes, peppers and salsa verde here
Perfect roast potatoes
No weekend roast is complete without roast potatoes – crunchy and crisp on the outside, soft and fluffy in the centre. In fact, they're the ideal accompaniment to a variety of dishes. Follow our step-by-step guide for perfect results every time. The recipe will serve eight; just adjust the amounts according to how many people you're cooking for.
Moroccan sweet potatoes
To make this vegan dish, baked sweet potatoes are filled with a spicy, garlicky lentil and tomato sauce with added spinach, then drizzled with a lemon and tahini dressing. Bake as many potatoes as you need, then double the sauce to serve more guests. The original recipe is for four servings.
Honey-roasted vegetables
This is an easy side to accompany any meal, and everything's made in one tray. Once cooked, the vegetables are dressed with a gorgeously flavoursome roasted garlic cream. The recipe serves four and is easily doubled up, but use two trays so the vegetables roast, rather than steam (which is what will happen if they're too crowded).
Sesame miso–roasted red cabbage
It's usually shredded and slow cooked with apples and onions, but red cabbage is so tasty when roasted and coated with a Japanese-style dressing of sesame, miso and mirin. It becomes deeply savoury and would be perfect to serve as a side dish with roast beef. It's simple to double up too – the more, the merrier!
Chilli and Parmesan polenta with green beans
On its own, polenta is rather bland – but flavour it with grated Parmesan, lemon and chilli and fry until crisp and it becomes a very tasty side. Topped with green beans and toasted hazelnuts and drizzled with basil oil, it's a good accompaniment for roast chicken. The polenta can be prepared ahead, and you can double up the recipe to serve eight.
Get the recipe for chilli and Parmesan polenta with green beans here
Roasted rainbow carrots with herbed yogurt
Preparing your meal in advance? The good thing about this side dish is that it's best made an hour ahead and served at room temperature, so the herby flavours in the yogurt are absorbed by the carrots. The varying colours of the heritage carrots make this dish look even more inviting, plus roasting them gives a lovely, caramelised flavour.
Get the recipe for roasted rainbow carrots with herbed yogurt here
Pull-apart garlic bread
This incredibly moreish pull-apart sharing bread is flavoured with garlic, coriander and a swirl of made-from-scratch harissa paste, making it an impressive side dish that will really wow your guests. The paste will keep in the fridge for two weeks, so that part can be done well in advance. This recipe serves 16 and would make an excellent accompaniment to a saucy main course.
Sticky date pudding with coconut caramel
This wonderfully indulgent hot pudding is traditional sticky toffee pudding's glamorous cousin. The sauce is simply a mixture of coconut milk and muscovado sugar, which can be made ahead. The finished dessert serves 12 and is the perfect comfort food to finish off a meal.
Get the recipe for sticky date pudding with coconut caramel here
Speculoos cheesecake bars
With just five ingredients and no baking involved, this really is a quick dessert to make. Speculoos or Biscoff biscuits form the base and the topping is simply melted speculoos spread (cookie butter). It should be made the day before serving, and there's enough to feed 16 people – though leftovers will keep in the fridge for up to three days.
Syllabub trifle
A classic British dessert, this trifle looks impressive, but requires little effort to put together; you can even use shop-bought vanilla custard for ease. Made with fresh raspberries, sponge and amaretti biscuits, it has a lovely combination of flavours and textures. The recipe allows for six generous portions.
Key lime pie
Sweet and sharp, this American classic of baked lime cream on a ginger biscuit base always goes down a storm. You can top it with meringue or try smothering it in whipped lime and vanilla cream, depending on your preference. It can be made a few hours in advance and will feed eight people.
Chocolate and pistachio fridge cake
This no-bake cake is perfect if you're short on time. Despite being quick and easy (it's ready in just 15 minutes), it's big on flavour – and can be made the day before. The mix of chocolate, tahini, ginger biscuits, nuts, dried fruit and toasted seeds is a winning combination. The recipe serves 12.
Mixed berry traybake with rosehip syrup
This simple fruity traybake is made with mixed berries and granola for a satisfying crunch and would be delicious served with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. You can buy rosehip syrup from your local deli to pour over the top, or swap it for a lemon drizzle instead. There's enough for 12 servings, so there'll be plenty to go around.
Get the recipe for mixed berry traybake with rosehip syrup here
White chocolate cheesecake
This is such a great dessert for feeding a crowd – it serves 10 and is ready in 30 minutes (it just needs to sit in the fridge overnight). With a tempting filling of cream cheese, white chocolate, crème fraîche and whipped cream on a crunchy biscuit base, you'll find it almost impossible to resist.
Rosemary banoffee pie
This banoffee pie is a family favourite with a twist, with the sweet caramel infused with fresh rosemary. Although it needs to be assembled just before serving (otherwise the sliced bananas will discolour), the biscuit base and sauce can be made ahead.
Banana and peanut butter crumble
This comforting, warming dessert is ideal for rounding off a big family meal. The filling is a mixture of caramelised bananas and dates in coconut milk, and the topping is a delectably crunchy crumble. The recipe (which serves eight) is vegan, but you can use dairy milk for the cardamom custard if you prefer.
Chocolate marble cake
This light and fluffy chocolate cake is extremely simple to make, with just 10 minutes prep time and 30 minutes in the oven. The recipe makes one single-layer sponge cake that serves eight, but you could make two and pop a creamy filling in the middle to make it look even more impressive. What's more, it's lower in sugar than a traditional recipe, so parents will thank you for helping the kids avoid a sugar rush.
Get the recipe for chocolate marble cake here
Now discover 30 classic fast foods you can make at home
Last updated by Emily Shardlow-Price.
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